July 5 '10
It's good to be back!!
Well..First of all, let me apologize to all the F1Insighters for the lack of posts this race weekend. My job took me to a remote location in India where I was unable to access neither the internet nor a Television!! Anyways, now that I'm back I think I'll post some insights on what happened during the Grand Prix weekend in Valencia before the start of the British Grand Prix this weekend.
Practice
European Grand Prix, Valencia - Friday free practice (1)
Nico Rosberg headed the opening practice in Valencia.
European Grand Prix free practice 1 times
1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 41.175s
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m 41.339s
3. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m 41.383s
4. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault 1m 41.715s
5. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 42.182s
6. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m 42.216s
7. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m 42.275s
8. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 42.312s
9. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 42.421s
10. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m 42.463s
11. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m 42.707s
12. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault 1m 42.962s
13. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 43.310s
14. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m 43.380s
15. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 43.397s
16. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m 43.437s
17. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 43.729s
18. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 44.183s
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m 44.491s
20. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m 45.653s
21. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 1m 47.123s
22. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m 47.285s
23. Christian Klien HRT-Cosworth 1m 47.343s
24. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m 47.356s
European Grand Prix, Valencia - Friday free practice (2)
Fernando Alonso topped second practice in Valencia, closely followed by Red Bull Racing's Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.
European Grand Prix free practice 2 times
1. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 39.283s
2. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m 39.339s
3. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m 39.427s
4. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 39.650s
5. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m 39.749s
6. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault 1m 39.880s
7. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 39.947s
8. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m 40.020s
9. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m 40.029s
10. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m 40.174s
11. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 40.287s
12. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m 40.387s
13. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault 1m 40.618s
14. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 40.906s
15. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 40.945s
16. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 41.115s
17. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m 41.371s
18. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 41.457s
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m 42.467s
20. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m 42.993s
21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m 43.811s
22. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m 43.854s
23. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 1m 44.095s
24. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1m 44.566s
European Grand Prix, Valencia ? Saturday free practice
Sebastian Vettel headed a Red Bull 1-3 in final practice for the European Grand Prix, with Robert Kubica in between.
European Grand Prix free practice 3 times
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m 38.052s
2. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault 1m 38.154s
3. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m 38.313s
4. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m 38.500s
5. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 38.513s
6 Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m 38.623s
7. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m 38.676s
8. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 38.686s
9. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m 38.769s
10. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m 38.816s
11. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 38.822s
12. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 39.050s
13. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m 39.105s
14. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault 1m 39.113s
15. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 39.222s
16. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 39.392s
17. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 39.527s
18. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 39.699s
19. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m 41.303s
20. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m 41.428s
21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m 41.955s
22. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m 42.354s
23. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 1m 42.611s
24. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1m 42.622s
Qualifying
Sebastian Vettel headed a Red Bull Racing 1-2 in qualifying for the European GP
Sebastian Vettel scored his 4th pole position of the 2010 season with a wonderful performance on Saturday (June 26) afternoon in Valencia.
Although the Austrian team predicted it would struggle to get its cars to speed on the Valencia street circuit, both Vettel and teammate Mark Webber scored consistently good results in the second part of qualifying, emerging in 1st and 2nd respectively at the end of Q3. Vettel clocked his fastest lap in 1:37.587, while Webber had to settle for 2nd some 0.075 seconds behind.
Third place went to McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who made a few mistakes in his last flying lap to lose his initial front row position. However, he did manage to out-qualify the two Ferraris of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa who, despite the overall improvements brought to Valencia, were unable to keep the pace with the front-runners in the last few minutes of qualify.
Renault?s Robert Kubica finished Q1 in 1st place but had to settle for 6th overall in the end, while in front of the second McLaren MP4-25 driven by Jenson Button. Williams F1?s improvements for the weekend got both their cars inside the Top 10, with Nico Hulkenberg topping his much older teammate Rubens Barrichello for 8th place. The Top 10 was completed by the second Renault driver Vitaly Petrov.
Mercedes GP had a Saturday to forget, with Nico Rosberg barely making the 12th slot on the grid, behind Scuderia Toro Rosso?s Sebastien Buemi, but ahead of Force India duo Adrian Sutil and Vitantonio Liuzzi. After almost failing to make it out of Q1 with a steering problem at his W01, Michael Schumacher scored the 15th best time of Q2, ahead of BMW Sauber?s Pedro de la Rosa and STR?s Jaime Alguersuari.
Top ten drivers in Q3
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m 37.587s
2. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m 37.662s
3 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m 37.969s
4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 38.075s
5. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari 1m 38.127s
6. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault 1m 38.137s
7. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m 38.210s
8 Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 1m 38.428s
9. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m 38.428s
10. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault 1m 38.523s
Drivers eliminated in Q2
11. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 38.586s
12. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 38.627s
13. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m 38.851s
14. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 1m 38.884s
15. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes 1m 39.234s
16. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 39.264s
17. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m 39.458s
Drivers eliminated in Q1
18. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari 1m 39.343s
19. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 1m 40.658s
20. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 1m 40.882s
21. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 1m 42.086s
22. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m 42.140s
23. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth 1m 42.600s
24. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth 1m 42.851s
Race
Sebastian Vettel scored his second win of 2010 in the European Grand Prix.
Sebastian Vettel cruised to his second win of the 2010 Formula One season on Sunday (June 27), as the Red Bull racer drove mistake-free from beginning to end in this weekend?s European Grand Prix. Starting from pole position, the German maintained his lead at the first corner, despite an early charge from McLaren?s Lewis Hamilton, after which he never let go of his 1st place.
His teammate Mark Webber started off poorly in Valencia and lost no less than 7 positions in the first lap, being the first to pit from the entire F1 field on Lap 8. Dropping down to 18th overall, the Australian started his recuperation race behind Lotus? Heikki Kovalainen, but it all lasted for a single lap.
While trying to overtake the Finn, Webber?s car touched the rear of Kovalainen?s Lotus and was practically lifted into the air and projected upside down onto the track, after which it flipped back the right way and smashed into the tyre barriers. Luckily, the Red Bull racer did not sustain any injuries in the accident.
Video:
That caused the first and only safety car of the race, meaning all the drivers visited the pits for tyre change. When deployed, the SC joined the field just ahead of the two Ferraris driven by Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, causing some major time damage for the two drivers.
After the pit stops, Vettel remained in 1st place, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Kamui Kobayashi, who decided not to change his tyres early on. Alonso dropped to 10th place, while Massa rejoined the field in 15th place.
Shortly after the safety car went in, Alonso attacked Williams? Nico Hulkenberg and went into 9th place, a position which he held until 3 laps to the finish line, when Kobayashi finally made his tyre change stop. In the front of the field, Hamilton made huge efforts to catch Vettel, but was given a drive-through penalty for passing the SC on track and lost approximately 15 seconds in the process.
However, despite the drive-through penalty, Hamilton retained his 2nd place and went on to finish in the runner-up spot, ahead of his McLaren teammate Jenson Button. Fourth place went to Williams? Rubens Barrichello, who finished ahead of Renault?s Robert Kubica and Force India?s Adrian Sutil.
Going in for a new set of tyres 3 laps to the finish line, Kobayashi managed a spectacular surge from 9th to 7th in only one lap, passing both Alonso and STR?s Sebastien Buemi in the last few kilometers of the race. Buemi had to settle for 8th, ahead of Alonso, while the Top 10 was completed by the second BMW Sauber driver Pedro de la Rosa.
As the chequered flag was waved, uncertainty is the word of the day in Valencia, as a bunch of cars were announced to be investigated for their pit stop under SC rules.
Jenson Button, Rubens Barrichello, Nico Hulkenberg, Robert Kubica, Vitaly Petrov, Adrian Sutil, Sebastien Buemi, Pedro de la Rosa and Vitantonio Liuzzi received 5-second penalties for "failing to stay above the minimum time set by the FIA ECU when the Safety Car was deployed."
In the overall classification of the race, Alonso was lifted up one spot to 8th place, while Buemi dropped to 9th. Pedro de la Rosa lost his 10th place in favor of Nico Rosberg.
European Grand Prix Race times
1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 57 laps 1hr 40m 29.571s
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes +5.0s
3. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes +12.6s*
4. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth +25.6s*
5. Robert Kubica Renault-Renault +27.1s*
6. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes +30.1s*
7. Kamui Kobayashi BMW Sauber-Ferrari +30.9s
8. Fernando Alonso Ferrari-Ferrari +32.8s
9. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari +36.2s*
10. Nico Rosberg Mercedes-Mercedes +44.3s
11. Felipe Massa Ferrari-Ferrari +46.6s
12. Pedro de la Rosa BMW Sauber-Ferrari +47.4s*
13. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari +48.2s*
14. Vitaly Petrov Renault-Renault +48.2s*
15. Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Mercedes +48.8s
16. Vitantonio Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes +50.8s*
17. Lucas di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth +1 lap
18. Karun Chandhok HRT-Cosworth +2 laps
19. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth +2 laps**
20. Bruno Senna HRT-Cosworth +2 laps
21. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Cosworth +4 laps
Rtd. Nico Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth 49 laps completed mechanical*
Rtd. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 8 laps completed accident
Rtd. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 8 laps completed accident
Fastest lap:
Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m 38.766s
* denotes handed 5-second penalty for speeding under safety car conditions
** denotes handed 20-second penalty for ignoring blue flags
Links to websites related to the 2010 European Grand Prix
- Europe analysis - Vettel back on the title trail
- European Grand Prix - The key decisions
- Kovalainen: Webber just ran into me
- Massa frustrated by safety-car controversy in European Grand Prix
- 'Lucky' Hamilton deserved 'a black flag', argues Briatore
- Alonso fumes after Hamilton penalty, Ferrari calls result ?a scandal?
- Lewis Hamilton accuses Fernando Alonso of sour grapes as fallout from European Grand Prix rumbles on
- Mark Webber thankful to survive horror crash with Heikki Kovalainen in Valencia
Images(C) daylife, f1fanatic. Thanks to autoevolution, crash.net, autoweek, f1fanatic, jamesallenonf1
John Barber Skip Barber Paolo Barilla Rubens Barrichello Michael Bartels
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